26 NOVEMBER 1948, Page 20

WHAT IS DUTCH LIKE ?

Sm,—In his anxiety to make fun of the Dutch language your correspon- dent, Mr. G. Griffith, seems to have rushed in rather precipitately. Shakes- peare wrote " spirit " not "ghost," and the Dutch for "I am thy father's spirit" (or "ghost ") is, I think, "1k ben uw vaders" geest," which is neither more nor less euphonious than the English and comes just as smoothly from the tongue. In any case it seems a pity to ridicule a language with such a long and distinguished literary history of its own.— Yours faithfully, M. MARPLES. Bar Hill Cottage, Madeley, Nr. Crewe.